The FFJ Story

Ministry History

Joe Vaine received his personal call to a full time aviation ministry in February of 1991.  With his pilot’s license in hand, Joe received his instrument rating and located a wrecked 1964 Cessna 206-N5195U.  Joe began serving without an airplane at El Buen Pastor Hospital and Clinic in San Quentin, Baja California, and in Mexico in 1992 as a mechanic in general maintenance.  From April 1993 to April 1994, Joe and a number of volunteers rebuilt N5195U.

Click Here to See Photo Gallery of Mexico Flying Ministry and First Trip to Africa

Marian received an independent call from the Lord in September of 1991 and joined Joe in the ministry in late December of 1992.  By the Spring of 1993, it became clear that God meant for Joe and Marian to be a couple as well as a team and they were married August 7, 1993.  On May 19, 1994 Joe and Marian, with the newly rebuilt airplane, began part-time ministry to the hospital for eight months, going full time in January of 1995 until the fall of 2000.

In March of 1996 the Lord replaced N5195U with a more suitable and updated version of the Cessna, a 1979 Cessna U206-N734NQ.  This aircraft was better suited to the rugged flying conditions of Baja and served more efficiently and safely the medical needs of the hospital and surrounding communities, thus extending Joe and Marian's ministry outreach flights to even more remote areas of Baja.

In the fall of 1999 Joe again heard God’s voice directing the ministry to a new and different location in the San Quentin Valley while continuing emergency airplane service to the hospital and surrounding community.  At the Holy Spirit’s direction, in the fall of 2000, Flying For Jesus moved to Col. Vicente Guerrero, 15 miles north of San Quentin where we came along side of the orphan mission Cristo por Su Mundo.  All of our medical outreach flights from 1997 to 2004 have been accomplished as a team effort with the medical staff from the medical clinic at this orphanage.  The flying ministry has been primarily for the emergency transport of trauma patients within Baja and into the United States.  Joe also served as Fire Chief for the San Quentin valley where established a local fire department with members of the staff from the mission.

Secondary use of the aircraft included medical team transports of Christian Mexican national doctors, dentists, nurses and paramedics to remote outlying areas where medical assistance is unavailable, and to other free medical clinics in Baja bringing medical and surgical skills to the poor and needy in the name of Jesus and to proclaim His message of salvation.  In addition, national Bible students from the mission’s Bible Institute were flown in teams into the medical outreach villages for Bible teaching of new converts.

In May of 2003 we returned to the States for health reasons and have been on sabbatical.  Since that time God has brought healing and renewed our vision and heart for missions.  God planted a seed for ministry in Africa in the summer of 2004 when a friend, Linda, shared what the Holy Spirit was doing with her brother, Rolland, and is wife Heidi in Mozambique, Africa.  Rolland, a missionary pilot, desperately needed an additional pilot with his own airplane to help support the overwhelming outpouring of the Spirit resulting in thousands of new believers all over the country.

In March of 2005 Joe and Marian met Rolland at a Missions Conference in Garden Grove, California.  Joe was now ready to make a trip to Mozambique and see if God would have him take some of the flying burden off this growing ministry.  Joe and Marian left for Maputo on May 7, 2005 for a two week visit to the bush country of northern Mozambique where, at one of the conferences, the Holy Spirit fell upon Joe and the call to leave home and family was confirmed.  The call is clear and in God's perfect timing they will go to Pemba, Mozambique with the airplane.

Primary Base Location

FLYING FOR JESUS
See "Contact/Donate" for Mailing Address
Phone: 1-619-206-0138
FlyingForJesus.org@Gmail.com